Now What? Unique Family Fun Activities for After-Thanksgiving Dinner in DFW

After you've hit Pumpkin Pie coma, dad has OD'd game and the kids have caught cabin fever, it's time to get out of the house for a little post-Turkey Day time. 

Here are a few unique ideas for family fun in Dallas that doesn't take too much time or planning to get the holiday happiness flowing! 

Get to the Ice to Meet Missile Toes, the back-flipping, pyrotechnic ice-skating Santa at Galleria Dallas

Burn off those mashed potatoes by taking to the ice at the Galleria Dallas Ice Rink from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Galleria! And if you try real hard, you probably can even get a little shopping checked off your list, too! If you just can’t get out of the house on Thanksgiving then venture out on Friday at noon when Galleria Dallas debuts the first Macy’s Grand Tree Lighting Celebration of the season. World Champion and Olympic skater Kurt Browning joins cute local skaters and the legendary pyrotechnic Missile Toes countdown to the tree lighting on the ice for a 20-minute holiday extravaganza around the 95-foot-tall Christmas tree. Best of all this show is free!

Galleria Dallas has several holiday experiences for you to enjoy, so visit the full schedule at galleriadallas.com. (Disclaimer: #Client)

See the World’s Longest Light Tunnel at the Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie

We are super excited to load up the car, grab our hot chocolate and turn on Michael Buble for Christmas memories you’ll enjoy for years to come.  Read more about the Prairie Lights here…

Go Nuts at the Gaylord Texan ICE display of The Nutcracker

Our family loves the Gaylord Texan at the holidays because it’s like going to a little bit of Disney – but I can be home in just 20 minutes!  Last year we really enjoyed our experience (if you’ve never been to ICE check out my 7 tips to the Perfect Ice Experience here), but we are really excited to check out the new theme, The Nutcracker! Of course, little man is all about the tubing action and some mama fun making a gingerbread house with Gingy! 

Even if you aren’t a guest, you can enjoy the ICE exhibit! Hours vary for this experience, so make sure you check out the website for the specific schedule and price.

Nothing Says the Holidays than Snow with the Gift of Lights at Texas Motor Speedway

Texas Motor Speedway doesn’t do anything small and that definitely describes their holiday event, the Gift of Lights. The Snow Village at TMS features a tubing hill, snow ball gallery, and a snow play area – and finish the fun by making s’mores! Read more about the Gift of Lights…

And don’t forget to SAVE THE DATE for these upcoming holiday events later in December!

Holly Jolly Holidays Start Dec. 11 at the Grapevine LEGO MINILAND

Search for Santa in a scavenger hunt through MINILAND. You’re bound to find an old St. Nick, as there are 11 LEGO Santa’s hidden throughout the 1.5 million LEGO bricks in MINILAND. (Dec.  11 - 25)

Write and mail your letter to Santa while enjoying complimentary milk and cookies in the Café. (Wednesday, Dec.  11 and 18 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Milk and cookies served on Dec. 25 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.)

Build a LEGO ornament to hang on the LEGOLAND Discovery Center tree (with a minimum $1 donation to Merlin’s Magic Wand.) Plus, meet Bertie the mascot! (Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14, 15, 21 and 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

Admission is $19 for adults, $15 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for kids 2 and under. Also note, special holiday hours: Christmas Eve 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Christmas noon to 6 p.m., New Years Eve 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and New Year’s Day 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

To purchase special discounted tickets visit www.LEGOLANDDiscoveryCenter.com/dallasfw.

Scuba Diving Santa takes the plunge at Sea Life Aquarium

While you are at MINILAND at Grapevine Mills, walk across the hall to the Sea Life Aquarium! This Santa doesn’t have fire coming out of his skates, but he does have an oxygen tank on his back. The Scuba Diving Santa takes the plunge to entertain you amongst the fish and sharks in SEA LIFE Aquarium Grapevine’s 145,000-gallon tank.  Scheduled dives occur at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec.  11 and 18 and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 21.

The kids will also be able write and mail a letter to Santa.  Letters can be written from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and 18 and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 21.

Admission is $19 for adults, $15 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for kids 2 and under.  To purchase special discounted tickets visit www.visitsealife.com/grapevine.  Please note the special holiday hours: Holiday Hours: Christmas Eve 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Christmas noon to 6 p.m., New Years Eve 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and New Years Day 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Gobble, Gobble!

Three Steps To a Turkey Touchdown This Thanksgiving {Recipe}

Disclaimer: I received a Jennie-O Turkey to help me test-run my first Thanksgiving. I'm sharing my experience here with you to show how easy it is!

Making Thanksgiving dinner seems to be a rite of passage that I had not passed -- until this year. With scheduling issues making it impossible for a traditional Turkey Day dinner to be shared by my family, I decided not to just have the day come and go, but to go ahead and celebrate -- a week in advance, and I would make it all. I mean the holidays are about spending a special time together not just on one pre-selected day right? 

There was only one little problem with my plan - I had NEVER made a turkey or anything for Thanksgiving. That's right. I had peeled, mashed and creamed up the potatoes and even warmed up the rolls, but the task of Thanksgiving had never fell on my shoulders. So I made it my goal not just to make a turkey, but a big spread complete with: 

• Bacon Dressing
• Homemade rolls 
• Truffled Mashed Potatoes
• Blue Cheese Bacon Brussel Sprouts
• Brown Gravy
• Spiced Cranberry Sauce
• and Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Brittle

While the menu was fun to create, it was the fear of that turkey coming out a burnt mess that had me so scared to make! I've always heard all these horrible stories about making turkey, but I wanted it to be amazing! 

So off to the store I went to get the ingredients for my Cilantro-Lime Turkey (a recipe I had found in my Better Homes and Gardens)! 

1) First off, was to pick out my turkey. Oh there were LOTS of turkeys to choose from! Unfortunately, I couldn't find the Jennie-O Oven ready turkey breast - they were sold out! However, the meat manager at my grocery store was able to find me one last turkey, so it was a good sign that the Jennie-O was in high demand. 

2) Once I got this baby home, I was able to take it straight to the oven after a few special touches! Because it was a turkey breast, the weight of the turkey was less than full-size turkey, making my cooking time a little less than the big birds! And while I could have left it alone with no thawing or seasoning, I decided to add a special Texas touch with favorite seasoning Cilantro, the zesty flavor of lime and a simple marinade of cilantro and honey!  

3) Then I popped it in the oven and 2.5 hours later - behold perfection. Well, almost. We still had to carve it and taste it for the official call. 

Yep, it was beautiful, it was delicious and juicy! SUCCESS!

If you'd like to make this amazing recipe, please take a look here and many of the other delicious recipes in the November 2013 Better Homes and Gardens!

I can't recommend the Jennie-O Oven Ready Turkey for your Thanksgiving! And IF you have any left overs then make sure you cook up this Turkey Tortilla Soup to savor it to the last drop! 

We hope you have a fantastic Turkey Day!

Give Thanks for PAM at Your Thanksgiving and After Thanksgiving Meal {Recipe} {Giveaway}

#This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of PAM Cooking Spray.

This year's Thanksgiving seemed like it was going to be a bust since I was scheduled to work all day. However, I decided that we'd just do Thanksgiving on another night with just the family. 

That meant that I was doing it all by myself. From making the menu, shopping, cooking, decorating and of course, my favorite, cleaning it all up (not), Thanksgiving was going to be a solo performance. 

However, I had no idea how many times my best friend PAM was going to come to my rescue. 

Yep, you probably know her - she's the reliable, zero-calorie cooking spray that you reach for when you want to make sure your food doesn't stick to the pan...but that's not all I learned she can do! 

Talk about being there for me --- during the preparation of Thanksgiving, I picked up my can of PAM Cooking Spray at least 10 times. From spraying the pan for the rolls, spraying the turkey to give it a little color, finishing the top of the stuffing before hitting the oven for crisp corners, giving a little mist in the food processor before chopping the pecans for the pie, and coating the skillet for the bacon-bleu cheese brussel sprouts, PAM was there for me to make sure that the meal came out picture perfect and even more important for me, easier to clean up the aftermath. 

I just wished I would have sprayed my floor before my daughter decided she needed to make a pie like mama -- all over my kitchen.

But the meal I really look forward to is the after-Thanksgiving leftovers. Using the turkey, several leftovers I found in the fridge, and a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles, I cooked up a Turkey Tortilla Soup that was a great way to reinvent Thanksgiving 2013. And, PAM played a staring role for this meal, too, by creating the finishing touch with homemade tortilla chips to give the soup the perfect crunch in under 3 minutes. 

Turkey Tortilla Soup 

Ingredients
7 cups of broth (use chicken broth or broth from the turkey) 
3 cups shredded turkey (or use what you have left!) 
1 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp red pepper 
salt and pepper
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained 
1 can of diced tomatoes and green chiles like Rotel
(Whatever leftovers you have - carrots, onions, etc.) 

3-4 flour tortillas
PAM Cooking spray

Instructions
In a large pot, boil the broth and turkey together with cumin, garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper. Season to taste. After boiling for 7 minutes, add the black beans, corn and Rotel and move to a simmer for 20 minutes or more. 

While the soup is cooking, prepare to the making the tortilla chips.  Spray the cooking sheet with PAM.  Then using a knife or cookie cutter, cut the tortillas into several triangles like a pie and lay them out separately on to the pan. Then spray the triangles with PAM. Place the pan in the oven on broil for 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden. 

Garnish with cilantro, sour cream (I actually like to use plain Greek yogurt for extra protein and texture), and shredded cheese! 

Don't you want to get your hands on your own can of PAM and even better put her to the test with a beautiful Le Creuset Pie Dish! (I'm in love with mine!) 

You can win a $50 prize pack with a full-size PAM Spray Product and a Le Creuset Pie Dish  by just sharing your favorite tip for using PAM Cooking Spray below! (Official Rules can be found here.)

What's your favorite SMART TIP for using PAM Cooking Spray?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of PAM Cooking Spray.
For more information, visit http://www.pamcookingspray.com.

Cure Your Kid's Cold with Maty's All-Natural Products {Giveaway}

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, however, I am so glad that I got the opportunity to learn about and try Maty's and now I am a customer. 

When Jackson was born, to say my world changed would be an understatement. 

Not just because he was my first, but because his heart condition made me very cognizant of what I was putting in my son's body, especially when it came to medicine. He already had more drugs pumped through him in his first three months of life, I was really excited to add more. However, I also needed to keep him healthy - even a cold or runny nose could add stress to his body. 

Now five years later I am still very aware of what I am putting into my children especially when it comes to medicine. That's why I am excited to find a company that not only thinks about not just curing what ails my children, but that there are natural remedies that can also cure them. Maty's All-Natural Products was also started by a mom who's child was born with a heart defect. 

spending time in and out of seeing the doctor, she started researching ways to treat her child with natural remedies using food-based ingredients for common issues like the cough and cold. And best of all, not only do the product treat the symptoms, but are loaded with several immune-boosting ingredients to help from getting sick again. 

Maty's has joined up with Conscious Box to give away a monthly subscription box full of all natural, vegan and gluten free products featuring Maty's Natural Products and 1,000 sample packets of Maty's! But you only have until Nov. 24 to enter --->  http://woobox.com/4a4e3j! 

But just for Mama Challenge readers, you can win one full-size Maty's Natural Products (cough syrup, vapor rub, chest rub or nasal ointment - just in time for the cold season!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope to make your season a little less sniffly!

It's the Gift We all Knead: Massage Envy' Holiday Special - 3 For Them + 1 for You

Want-it Wednesdays:

Disclaimer: I received a gift card to help promote this amazing deal for the holidays from Massage Envy DFW. 

While I love receiving a gift card for just about anything, I admit I normally end up spending them on necessary things like groceries and clothes and not on the fun stuff that Christmas is meant for. (Isn't being an adult fun!?!) 

That's why we get you something that you are forced to enjoy like manicures, clothes and massages, you can't feel guilty about just appreciating a gift, right? It would rude to waste it. 

Now take a look at that Christmas list and see who could benefit from one hour of stress-free attention to work out those knots...I know everyone on my list would (and it's a BIG list!) Then get the best reward by scoring a massage for yourself by just giving to others!

The Dallas-Fort Worth Massage Envy Spas have a special holiday offer starting today: buy three gift cards (or any combination that equals $225) and receive a free, one-hour massage session. This offer is only valid for purchase at the 33 DFW Massage Envy Spas, but can be redeemed nationwide at 900 locations. Massage Envy Spa gift cards may be used for any combination of products and services offered in any Massage Envy Spa nation-wide. Fourteen DFW Massage Envy Spas offer Murad® healthy skin facials. You've until December 24 to get your list checked off with this offer! 

Massage Envy DFW
Log on to http://www.massageenvy.com/regions/TX/Dallas.aspx to find the nearest Massage Envy Spa 
http://www.MassageEnvy.com
Massage Envy Spa DFW on Facebook
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Ditch the Dictionary - Get Your Own Online Editor with Grammarly

Tech Tuesday:

Ever read a Facebook status and wished you had an online spell check before you pressed 'enter?'

Sent a resume and realized you misspelled Dear for Deer, but your spell checker never caught it? 

Posted a blog post and then got an email you had four typos, and you needed to change them pronto? 

Wanted to figure out if you were using the right word in a report and didn't have anyone to bounce it off of? 

Yes, me too. (Don't think about going through my posts to start counting...)

I think we all wish we had a second pair of eyes to look over our writing, especially when we are multitasking between text, email, documents, Facebook and Twitter and never feel like we have the time to run it by someone.

Well, folks, the sad thing is, everything you write is a major thing.  It's what you are writing that says you are thoughtful, you are detail-oriented, you are professional and most of all, you aren't an idiot. 

That's why it's wonderful that there is an option available besides your college English teacher from 10 years ago to ask if that Facebook post is written correctly: Grammarly. 

Not only does this automated proofreader and grammar coach help you find up to 10 more mistakes and 250 more typos than word processors programs, but it also is your plagiarism checker online for free by checking your text against eight million web pages.  

Pretty impressive, right? 

There's lots more it offers, too. 

What I love about Grammarly is that it can be customized for your style of writing: General, Business, Academic, Technical, Creative, or Casual, so depending on if you are whipping out a report or a blog post, Grammarly can still help you. 

Also, when you check your grammar using Grammarly, all of the grammatical errors are categorized, clearly displayed, and organized for your review and revision, so it's easy to read and understand. 

And it doesn't just correct your mistakes, it tells you why it is making the suggestion. So you are learning how to be a better writer by using it as well as having the opportunity to utilize its online Writing Handbook for more knowledge. 

So basically why aren't you using Grammarly? 

Do you feel like Microsoft Word is already enough for you or you don't want to go to the trouble of opening up another browser? Don't worry, there's a Microsoft Word plug-in so you can use it while you are working in Word. 

Wonder if it works in blog posts and Facebook? Then download it and see how it can integrate into all your platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Wordpress and more. 

Get a free 7-day trial of Grammarly and insert your own text or see a sample at work now. 

The Grammarly online grammar check tool is not only good for discovering what to fix in your writing, but how to fix it. 

And best of all, you don't have to delete anything or apologize for your poor writing skills when you have Grammarly at your fingertips! 

Dallas' Best Dressed Secret: Upscale Resale at Clothes Circuit

Disclaimer: I was invited to celebrate the 30th anniversary at Clothes Circuit and received a gift card. However, I have already spent way more money than my gift card balance and plan to go back multiple times. 

As I approach the holidays, my buying habits change to only giving and no more getting for me.  Unfortunately, it's also the same time of the year that your social calendar requires you to look your festive best. 

Ain't it ironic that Timing and Budget do not place nicely with each other? 

However, I did find out they can compromise.

Let me introduce you to my new guiltless pleasure, Clothes Circuit. 

A 30-year-old tradition in the Park Cities, Clothes Circuit offers women one-of-kind upscale consignment fashion with clothing essentials, shoes, accessories, coats, bags, handbags and jewelry.  Owned by Irene Mylan, the Clothes Circuit gives you the labels you want to buy at prices you can actually afford (and still buy Christmas.) 

With more than 500 items are introduced to the floor daily bearing labels from the world’s top designers and upscale retailers such as Trina Turk, St. John, Tory Burch, Michael Kors, Marni, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Burberry and more.  Clothes Circuit also carries everyday office-appropriate options from Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s, The Gap, and Cole Haan.

A woman with little time to spend on shopping for herself, I immediately spotted a huge number of Louis Vuitton handbags and suitcases. Followed by several pairs of Jimmy Choos I couldn't wait to put on my feet. I was already reeled in now, so off to the racks to see if there was anything that I had to have. 

Of course, I found some. A lot of some. Somewhere between the devoted Tory Burch rack, a Michael Kors Black trench and lovely gold frock (holiday attire is only available from now until the end of the year), I couldn't help from seeing all the fantastic labels that I just couldn't believe was available AND I could consider buying it. 

While I've enjoyed my time there, I have to admit, I hope this new-found-fun doesn't turn like my Starbucks. From just special occasions to now multiple times a day, I'm now a gold card carrier of the coffee giant. Thankfully, Clothes Circuit doesn't have a frequent shopper card or the Christmas tree at my house might look bare. 

At least I'll look good. 

Clothes Circuit

6105 Sherry Lane

Dallas, TX 75225

www.clothescircuit.com

Get your inside look on inventory at Clothes Circuit on Instagram!

Emeals Meal Planning Makes it Easy to Save Time and Money (Even at the Holidays) {Discount} {Recipe}

Disclaimer: The post includes affiliate links. The opinions and comments here are all my own. I am acting in accordance with FTC guidelines. 

Unlike most moms I know, I actually LOVE to go to the grocery store. I like to peruse the aisle, dream of what meals to make and just get my hands on fresh vegetables, meats and just enjoy food at its best. Unfortunately, time doesn't really allow for a two-hour trip for fun and certainly not the full list of necessary family things I have to buy before I enjoy my time. So I end up running in the store with 45 minutes to pick up $200 of groceries just to get home and not have anything to make for dinner. 

And at the holidays? I am that person running in the store at the nth hour throwing things in the cart and returning five more times before I get Thanksgiving on the table. At that point, I'm not so in love with the grocery store and I spent way more than the budget allows.  

However, I just had found out there's a better option for all this poor planning AND I can even save money in the long run with emeals. Recommended by budget guru Dave Ramsey, emeals sends you an email once a week a list of groceries and menus to make things easier (and cheaper) for you when you go to the grocery store. Basically, emeals takes all the work out of the work of going to the grocery store and allows me to enjoy it again. 

Save 30% on all meal plans with code CYBER

On a special diet or eating plan? No problem. They have choices based on your changing diet. From Paleo, Slow Cooker, or just Clean Eating - emeals has it covered. I appreciate having my time and money back by using emeals for all our meals - breakfast through dinner. And the holidays aren't an exclusion either! Right now you can get a full holiday plan for free when you sign up with 15% discount to boot when you use this link. 

Can you imagine making Thankgsiving dinner easy and with one trip to the store? Or are you still trying to stay on a healthy plan without sacrificing Thanksgiving tradition? Just check out this recipe for clean eating Toasted Pecan Tart by emeals. (I can smell warm pecan pie baking as I think about it.) 

With all these options, emeals is a great choice for moms and dads looking to save time and money so they can spend it in the places it really counts. Unless you enjoy spending hours couponing and recipe planning, then emeals is definitely worth considering when you are looking to solve one of mama's biggest challenges. 

Kick it Up with Santa and his Reinsteer at the 4th Annual Camp Bowie Christmas, Dec. 14

Cowtown becomes the North Pole for one day only on Saturday, Dec. 14 for the Camp Bowie Christmas! The whole family will enjoy a jolly-good time from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. with free, fun activities just for the holidays - especially when Santa and his Reinsteer make a special stop just for the event! 

Santa and his "Reinsteer" come to Camp Bowie Christmas on Dec. 14

Activities Include: 

• Letters to Santa
• Carnival games
• Pony rides
• Face painting
• Holiday music
• Balloon artist
• Cake walk

The public is encouraged to bring a new toy donation for Toys for Tots to help spread holiday cheer. 

4th Annual Camp Bowie Christmas
Dec. 14, 2013, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. 
6323 block of Camp Bowie Blvd. 
Fort Worth, Texas 
Free

See you there!

Relieve Sinus Pain with Sudafed's OPEN UP app and Win $5,000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sudafed.

After returning from a wonderful mom-and-son blog getaway to Mexico last week, I was "lucky" to have my sinus take over and make me miserable - starting on my way home on the plane. 

Everything hurt; my head was pounding from the pressure on my sinus and my eyes just kept watering. Not to mention the total discomfort of having my ears pop on the plane. In reality I just really couldn't handle anything, much less traveling with my kiddo or not being able to get to my pharmacy to pick up some relief. 

It wasn't the way I wanted to end that trip at all, especially when it started so wonderfully for my birthday! But that is what sinus pain and colds do - especially here in Texas... they come over you when you least expect it and then like that you are down and out. And the feeling? That's the worst part. I couldn't put my fingers on enough pulse points to attempt to make my brain quit pounding. 

And let's not talk about the runny nose once that started. Indescribable.

While hindsight is 20/20, had I been able to take stock in tissues before I got sick, I would be a rich woman now. 

Bottom line: I just wanted to zip off this body to relieve the pressure. 



Thankfully, Sudafed is helping to relieve a little of the pressure that comes from sinus pain with the Sudafed OPEN UP™ Facebook app. This nifty app helps sufferers visualize their pain with a photo contest, share it with other suffers, get a coupon and best of all, be entered in for a chance to win $5,000. 

That alone is enough reason to feel better. 

Well, after you have taken a Sudafed. 

Sudafed knows that suffering from sinus pressure and pain can leave individuals feeling crushed, beat down, congested and even squeezed, desperately looking for a way to open up. Serious sinus sufferers are invited to creatively share how their sinus pain and pressure looks and feels to them by using Sudafed’s OPEN UP™ application on Facebook.

Then, beginning on December 2, the Sudafed Facebook community will vote for one of five finalist sketches that best illustrates the pains of sinus pressure. The winner will receive $5,000 and a chance to have their work included in a Sudafed advertising campaign. For more information, visit the Sudafed Facebook page. 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sudafed.